DR Michael Lewis FSA MIfA
Research Associate

Profile

Biography

Bibliography

Michael Lewis is Deputy Head of the Department of Portable Antiquities & Treasure and Curator, Medieval Collections at the British Museum. He is a Fellow of the Society of Antiquities of London (FSA), a Member of the Institute for Archaeologists (MIfA) and an Advisory to the All Party Parliamentary Archaeology Group (APPAG)

His PhD (Kent) examined the Archaeological Authority of the Bayeux Tapestry, which was subsequently published as a British Archaeological Report (404). He co-ordinated (with Profs Gale Owen-Crocker and Dan Terkla) the 2008 international symposium on the Tapestry at the British Museum; the proceedings of which were published in 2011. He has also written numerous articles on the Bayeux Tapestry, particularly in relation to the factors that influenced its design.

Michael also edits the Portable Antiquities Scheme and Treasure annual reports, and contributes on the work of the Scheme to Post-Medieval Archaeology and elsewhere. He is a small finds expert, with a particular interest in medieval and post-medieval small metal finds, writing numerous articles and notes on these items. His current research is diverse, but includes work on late Anglo-Saxon hooked-tags, medieval pilgrim’s badges and Limoges enamels, as well as post-medieval vervels.

In series 2 and 3 of History’s Mud Men, Michael advised Johnny Vaughan and Steve Brooker on their foreshore discoveries, and sent them off on their historical adventures. He also appeared on Britain’s Secret Treasures (ITV1), which featured the work of the PAS and Treasure Act.

‘The PAS – A Rather British Solution: the mandatory reporting and voluntary recording of archaeological objects in England and Wales’, in A. S. Lagerlöf, Who Cares? Perspectives on Public Awareness, Participation and Protecting in Europe’s Archaeology, European Archaeological Council, occasional publication (forthcoming 2012). submitted.

‘Heraldic Devices in the Bayeux Tapestry’, The Coat of Arms (forthcoming 2012). submitted

with A. Richardson & D. Williams, ‘Portable Antiquities and their Potential for Understanding the Past’, in G. R. Owen-Crocker & M. C. Hyer (eds.), The Material Culture of Daily Living in the Anglo-Saxon World (University of Exeter Press, 2011).

‘The Bayeux Tapestry and Oxford, Bodleian Library, Junius 11’, in M. Lewis, G. Owen-Crocker & D. Terkla (eds.), New Research on the Bayeux Tapestry: proceedings of a conference at the British Museum (Oxbow, 2011), 107-11.

‘Questioning the Archaeological Authority of the Bayeux Tapestry’, Cultural and Social History 7. 4 (2010), 467-84.

Reviews

B. C. Withers, The Illustrated Old English Hexateuch, Cotton Claudius B.iv: The Frontier of Seeing and Reading in Anglo-Saxon England (The Library, Transactions of the Bibliographical Society s.7, 9.4, 2008).

G. Beech, Was the Bayeux Tapestry made in France? The case for St. Florent of Samur (Caa.reviews, 2007).

The Value of Visual Representations of Harold Godwinson (Haskins, Boston), 7 November 2009.

Antiquities Law in the UK: the legislation regarding finding, reporting and selling UK antiquities and Recording Archaeological Finds: liaising with metal-detectorists and other finders (National Cultural Heritage Conference, Tainan), 30-31 October 2009.

Mandatory Reporting and Voluntary Recording: the legal obligations for finders of archaeological objects in England and Wales (Portable Antiquities in Europe and the Wider World: law, ethics, policy and practice, Pécs), 12 July 2007.

Embroidery errors in the Bayeux Tapestry and their Relevance for Understanding its Design and Production (International Medieval Conference, Kalamazoo), 13 May 2007.

Identity and Status in the Bayeux Tapestry: the iconographic and artifactual evidence (Battle Conference on Anglo-Norman Studies, Battle), 28 July 2006.

Research

Overview

Overview

Michael Lewis has a particular interest in metal small finds, particularly late 10th and 11th century material culture. However, in recent years he has developed an interested in a wider array of medieval and post-medieval metalwork, including hooked-tags, pilgrim’s badges, vervels etc.

Research

Michael Lewis’ current research projects include:

(with John Naylor, Ashmolean Museum) Typology of Late Anglo-Saxon Hooked-Tags.

(with Naomi Speakman, British Museum) Catalogue of Pilgrim Badges in the British Museum.